Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate of the Reform Party, said on the afternoon of the 3rd at the Reform Party's counting situation room in the National Assembly building in Yeouido, Seoul, "The responsibility for the results of this election is entirely mine."

On that day at 8 p.m., the candidate announced in front of party members and reporters that he accepts the results, with the national vote count at around 1.6%.

Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok arrives at the party's counting situation room set up at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, after confirming the results of the exit polls from the three broadcasting companies on Mar. 3, expressing his feelings. /Courtesy of Yonhap News Agency

According to exit polls from three major broadcasters, KBS, MBC, and SBS, released at 8 p.m. that day, Lee Jun-seok was analyzed to have recorded 7.7%. Lee Jae-myung received 51.7%, and Kim Moon-soo received 39.3%.

The candidate stated, "This presidential election was indeed fierce, and I think many citizens must have struggled during the process of martial law stemming from the impeachment over the past six months," adding, "I hope this election will bring an end to the confusion and allow Korea to leap forward once again."

The candidate continued, "If the exit poll is correct, Lee Jae-myung (Democratic Party of Korea) will assume the presidency, but because national unity and the economy are very challenging, I hope for meticulous and accurate judgment regarding the economic situation, and the Reform Party will ensure we can continue to act as the opposition party."

The candidate also said, "There may have been things we did well and things we did poorly during this election process, but I hope the Reform Party will thrive in the local elections coming in a year," and added, "Through this election, the Reform Party has established itself as a party that has successfully completed both the general and presidential elections."

The candidate expressed, "I am very grateful to the residents of Dongtan who have trusted and supported me, Lee Jun-seok, as their local member of the National Assembly during the six-month period of confusion," and stated, "From tomorrow, I will return to my daily duties as a member of the National Assembly for Dongtan and handle the local complaints and various issues related to Dongtan attentively."